There was a great article in the LA Times today by Steve Lopez. He sympathizes with the farmers, but not neccessarily some of their recent supporters.

"Call me a cynic, but I've got to wonder why [Daryl Hannah], [Joan] Baez, Laura Dern, Martin Sheen, Danny Glover and other Hollywood supporters couldn't help raise the dough to back up their principles.

And if they believe poor folk ought to do their farming on private property, I'm wondering when they'll ask some of their Hollywood pals to open the security gates to their sprawling compounds. I'm just guessing, but there must be thousands of acres of fertile soil out there, ripe for planting."

" I'm wondering when they'll ask some of their Hollywood pals to open the security gates to their sprawling compounds. I'm just guessing, but there must be thousands of acres of fertile soil out there, ripe for planting."

I think that's an excellent point. IF some of these (rich) hollywood types are really interested in urban farming, why not open their own gates and start some urban farms (for the people) of their own?

You guys have got to be kidding. Would you want strangers growing stuff at your house.

No, that's not the answer. The answer is more community garden space - funded by the wealth of the community. And the answer is that communities need to tell developers like Horowitz where to stick it - no more favored treatment. It sickens me that this guy didn't accept the Trust offer! What a dick.

It's time for communities to realize that Our Commons are more important than The Free Market. Period.

Meanwhile, this is a sad day for LA.

You can't exactly practice "urban farming" in the wilds of Malibu. Look on a map: South Central is about 40 miles from Malibu. =)

I had been active an supporter of the farm: during demonstrations and financially. One of the reasons that Hurwitz would not sell the land was what he considered a virulent campaign against him including anti-semiticism. As a supporter I too saw and experienced terrible anti-semitic signs and remarks. When I brought this issue to some of the South Central organizers they said they did not believe it was a racial issue, they did not support any implication of anti-Semiticism HOWEVER they agreed that some of the rhetoric was clearly anti-semitic but they would do nothing to stop it since it came from key supporters who they did not want to alienate. I believe that if the campaign against Horwitz had not been so strongly personal he would have sold the property. Far left groups like Answer continue to alienate Jews that believe in the same causes because of their extension of the terrible situation in Israel to an anti-Jewish bias in general.

Fools, their wisdom weak, are their own enemies as they go through life, doing evil that bears bitter fruit. (Dhammapada)

And the weak shall inherit the earth. (Jesus)

Peace to you all. Peace be with you all. Move on, grow your fields with love. The foolish one does not see the need for food of many forms. Revenge is for the weak so stay pure in your thoughts and think of love.

Stephan van Wyk

I think the hollywood types should open their gates and let their property become Our Commons. They were more than willing to use the tyranny of the masses to try to use FORCE and intimidation so someone else would give up his private property to become their commons. They need to put up or shut up.

It is an imposition of the unreal into the real, a force that stands behind an unborn mythology and pushes it to breach reality. It is a manifest in an atonement by the pain of rejecting reality and a reverent petition to manifest the unreality, at least in microcosms [claiming land from a lawful landowner]. It is the consciousness as a tool that is self realized between the adepts, to define the metaphor is to obliterate the metaphor – which explains the seemingly unfounded passion for the claimants for their demand to cultivate land that they do not own. Peace be upon you.

I would just like to say, as a person who has been present at the farm almost 24/7 for over a month, I have never witnessed aggression or racisim direted to horowitz other than the truth, that he is a greedy bougie sell out. This is not a religious or race issue, we hate horror-witz because he does not care about the people. We wish he would rise above his corporate greed, and let the poor eat, but it doesn't look like he will.

I would also like to point out that so far, to my knowledge, never has any negotiations regarding the sale or destruction of the farm has taken place on the farm, with the people who work it.

When will we stop allowing them to control us?

yes, ralph was so right, fight the petty interest of the wealth hating los angeles types

destroy those who oppose your well being and generally are hating on what you got...its called life, suck it up poor people

whats wrong with letting "strangers" grow stuff in
your back yard, you may get to know them.

Open*Letter to:

South*Central,

In brief, to create a win, win, win, to cause a Phoenix to rise from the ashes of the South Central Farm situation, to allow every aspect of cooperation and community to flourish, to expand on all that is good and right, to heal the past, to make friends and heroes of all involved . . .

Simply put, build the warehouse, incorporate the largest green roof garden application and edible landscaping possible to all the buildings and the entire site, require the company to involve neighborhood groups and individuals in the development, operation, and management of the garden aspects of the project.  Further more, require a longer term effort and commitment of building upon this concept to expand the garden into the community through the development of a “Lawns to Lunch” outreach program into all the surrounding neighborhoods, thus expanding the goodwill and impact of the overall project, into the lives and future of every*one, while setting a world class example of sustainable, cooperative development in creating Peaceful Profits.

Sincerely,

Bruce Larson*Moore